FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 25, 2013

Contact: CJ Frogozo, CJ@FitzGibbonMedia.com, 310 570 2622

New York, NY – ColorofChange, the nation’s largest online civil rights organization, is calling on the President and Congress to take austerity measures off the table – cuts to Social Security that unfairly attack the poor and middle class, and to support a budget that helps get people back to work. Rashad Robinson, Executive Director of ColorOfChange, issued the following statement:

“President Obama has proposed a federal budget that would cut nearly $1 trillion to vital programs, including Social Security. The president’s proposal does not represent the best vision for the country; instead, it reinforces the destructive idea that our economic crisis can be solved by drastically cutting public structures that are essential for the stability of poor and middle class families. The reality is, only investments in sound social programs, infrastructure, and job creation — not cuts — will lead to economic recovery.

“These cuts would have a profound, deep and long-lasting impact on Black families. Social Security is a self-funded program that doesn’t add one dime to the deficit, and given Black folks’ persistently high unemployment rate and lower overall lifetime earnings, it remains a vital lifeline for our retirement security. Black folks are still experiencing unemployment at nearly twice the national rate and throughout the recession, too many of us have seen hard-fought economic gains disappear, with devastating effects on decreasing household wealth, personal savings, and retirement options. One year into the recession, Black households net worth fell 83 percent — to a shockingly low $2,170.

“And Black folks are still reeling from long-term job loss and unemployment: Despite slowly decreasing unemployment rates nationwide, public sector job loss has knocked much of the Black community into poverty. Black folks are one-third more likely to be employed in public sector government jobs–a centerpiece of current austerity measures, so layoffs and furloughs disproportionately impact our community and make it even harder for us to rebound from the nationwide recession.

“Now, just this past week, we’ve all learned that this devastating austerity approach has been based on false research.

“Our critical policy decisions shouldn’t be based on false research. Too many livelihoods, too many families are at stake.

“The White House budget is just a proposal, which means there’s still time to stop the cuts and restore needed investments.”

**View Petition Here: http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/JobsNotCuts/**

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With more than 850,000 members, ColorOfChange.org is the nation’s largest online civil rights organization.